1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of pet foods and primarily dog food and dog treats which are formulated of premium dog food ingredients in a semi-moist state. Traditionally, semi-moist dog food is sold in cans or in tins or in sealed packs and after the can or tin or sealed pack is opened, semi-moist dog food is placed into a dog dish where it is consumed by the dog. The present invention relates to the field of a new innovative way of packaging semi-moist dog food so that the food can be dispensed in a more convenient form with a greater density of protein per portion and at times and places when traditional feeding would be difficult.
2. Detailed Description of the Prior Art
In general, the concept of forming specifically shaped foods such as bar-shaped material for human food is known. However, to the best of the present inventor's knowledge, the concept of creating dog food in unique shapes which is semi-moist and is retained together in unique shapes and can be manufactured in a commercially viable way has not been known before the present invention. The following 10 patents and published patent applications are the closest relevant prior art to the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,731 issued to Kisaku Suzuki on Jul. 1, 1986 for “Food Shaping Apparatus” (hereafter the “Suzuki Patent”);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,896 issued to Masao Kobayashi on Sep. 24, 1996 for “Method For Cutting A Bar-Shaped Food And Its Apparatus” (hereafter the “Kobayashi Patent”);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,827,565 issued to Glen S. Axlerod on Oct. 27, 1998 for “Process For Making An Edible Dog Chew” (hereafter the “Axlerod Patent”);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 6,344,224 issued to Gianni Bazzaro et al. on Feb. 5, 2002 for “Feed Body For Domestic Animals” (hereafter the “Bazzaro Patent”);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 6,733,263 issued to Brent K. Pope et al. on May 11, 2004 for “Composition, Process and Apparatus” (hereafter the “Pope Patent”);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,186 issued to Werner Pfaller et al. on Jul. 31, 2007 for “Extrusion Process, Apparatus and Product” (hereafter the “Pfaller Patent”);
7. United States Published Patent Application No. 2008/0003270 to Ion Inaki Garcia Martinez on Jan. 3, 2008 for “Chewable And/Or Edible Product For Pets And Other Animals” (hereafter the “Garcia Martinez Published Patent Application”);
8. U.S. Pat. No. 7,390,520 issued to Paul Murrow Dempsey et al. on Jun. 24, 2008 for “Process For Preparing A Chewable Pet Food” (hereafter the “Dempsey Patent”);
9. United States Published Patent Application No. 2008/0233228 to Scott A. Lindee et al. on Sep. 25, 2008 for “Food Molding Mechanism For A Food Patty Molding Machine” (hereafter the “Lindee Published Patent Application”);
10. U.S. Pat. No. 7,585,533 issued to Cathryn Fritz-Jung et al. on Sep. 8, 2009 for “Pressure Formed Pet Food And Method” (hereafter the “Fritz-Jung Patent”).
The Suzuki Patent discloses a food shaping apparatus which contains a multiplicity of rollers which serve to compress the food over a period of time going from the top of the hopper to the bottom of the hopper and compress the food into the shape such as shown in FIG. 4. The shape is primarily round. The patent is designed to show the process of compressing food into a specific shape but it is dealing with human food and not dog food.
The Kobayashi Patent discloses a method of cutting a bar shaped food.
The Axlerod Patent discloses the process for making an edible dog treat. The process includes making a heat expandable dog chew comprised primarily of injection molding potato starch granules and an attractant. The treat is in the shape of a dog bone.
The Bazzaro Patent discloses a fully edible feed body for domestic animals comprising a central core having an elongated shape and a substantially circular or square section, to which at least one layer of seed-based mixture is glued and in which the central core is obtained by extrusion cooking from a mixture based on water, flour, seeds and optionally sugar.
The Pope Patent discloses an apparatus dye and method for preparing a dual textured pet food including a shell enveloping a core.
The Pfaller Patent discloses a process for the manufacture of cooked cereals or dry pet food by preparing a mixture of water and a dry premix comprising cereal, flour or semolina and pressing the mixture, with the aid of a gear pump, to a heat exchanger and then to a dye where it is extruded.
The Garcia Published Patent Application discloses a chewable pet treat which includes a fibrous collagen used to prepare a product wherein the fibrous collagen matrix is formed in any shape of a three dimensional design.
The Dempsey Patent discloses a process for preparing a chewable pet food which includes between 56% and 80% dry wheat gluten mix, 9% to 28% liquid plasticizer mix and between 8% to 18% moisture by weight.
The Lindee Published Patent Application discloses a food molding mechanism for forming a food patty which is for human consumption.
The Fritz-Jung Patent discloses a pet food and method for manufacturing the pet food which includes extruding a base meal formula, grinding the extruded meal and pressure forming the ground meal into solid form.
Overall, no one has conceived of the idea of having a semi-moist dog treat formed into a predetermined shape which can be broken into one or more separate sections and fed to the dog at individual selected times and which can be manufactured in a commercially viable way. There is a significant need for such an improved invention on the market.